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H. S. MECKLEY AND F. J.-LAMKE.

PISTON RING REDUCER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1919.

l ,3 1 7,720. Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

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w; 7% M W HARRY S. MECKLEY, OF HARRISBURG, AND FRED J. LAMKE, 0F STEELTON, PENNSYL- VANIA; SAID LAMKE ASSIGNOB T0 SAID MECKLEY.

PISTON-RING- REDUCER.

Application filed. May 29, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HA RY S. MECKLEY and F RED J. LAMKE, citizens of the United States, residing at Harrisburg and Steelton, respectively, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piston-Ring Reducers, of which the following 1S a specification.

Our present invention relates generally to implements for assisting in the placing of pistons in piston cylinders and to avoid the difliculty usually encountered in compressing the piston rings sufliciently for this purpose, and is more particularly a simple, inexpensive tool for reducing the piston rings diameter to the diameter of the piston. Our primary object is the provision of a handy, effective implement of this type which may be readily and; quickly manipulated and placed in, and removed from-operative position.

Tothe above end, our invention resides in the implement to be now described with ref' erence to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional side view illustrating the practical application of my invention; V

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective View of my improved implement; and 1 Fig. 3 is a. longitudinal section through a portion of the implement, showing a slight modification.

Referring now to these figures, our invention, as seen particularly in Fig. 2, consists of a piston ring clamp adapted to be manually operated and controlled and including a pair of arcuate clamping members 10 and 11, each provided adjacent to one end with a lengthwise slot 12. These slotted ends of the two clamping members lap one another and may thus be adjustably connected by clamping bolts and nuts, as seen at 13, which extend through the slots 12. The inner heads of these bolts 18 are flush with the inner surfaces of the clamping members and the lapping end of one member, namely, member 10, which is on the inside, is preferably tapered gradually to a relatively sharp edge as shown, so as to maintain an approximately true inner circle to evenly and uni formly engage a piston ring.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. '7, 1919.

Serial No. 300,593.

At their opposite ends, the clamping members having angularly outstanding handles 14: which diverge as seen, so that pres sure against the handles, tending to force the same toward one another, will serve to shift the adjacent ends of the clamping members together so as to reduce the circumference of the clamp.

It is thus to be seen that as the clamping members are formed of spring-metal normally holding them spaced apart, the clamp as a whole may be readily slipped onto a piston to which it has been previously adjusted. The clamp is placed to partially lap each ring in successlon and when so lapped pressure on the handles 14 thus serves to reduce the ring so that its exposed portion may be readily slipped into the cylinder, all as particularly seen in Fig. 1,

where the piston appears at 15, the piston ring at 16 and the cylinder at 17.

While it is believed the clamping bolts and nut-s 13 will serve to hold the parts sufficiently tight in adjusted position, under ordinary circumstances at least, one of the clamping members, for instance, member 10 of Fig. 3, may have its outer surface provided with a series of transverse serrations 18 for engagement by the inturned lip 19 of the inner end of the other member. 11", so as to thus supplement the bolts and nuts 13 of this figure.

It is thus obvious that the proposed ring reducer is capable of ready manipulation,

easy control, quick engagement and disengagement, and is simple, inexpensive and durable in 1ts nature.

We claim as our lnventiont A piston-ring reducer, consisting of an annular ring-engaging clamp formed of spring-metal and comprising arcuate sections having overlapping slotted inner ends, an'adjusting bolt connecting said ends, and handles at the opposite-ends, one of said sectionshaving an outer serrated face adjacent to its inner end, and the other section having an inturned hp at its mner end to engage the serrations of the first section.

tures.

HARRY s. MEGKLEY. FRED J. LAMKE.

Washington, D. O.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signa- 1 

